The moves used in cage fighting include: punching, kicking and grappling. In this article you will learn the rules and things it takes to be a cage fighter, and be introduced into the UFC organization (Ultimate Fighting Champions).

Aside from knowing your strengths, you also need to where your weaknesses lie. Being honest with yourself, and knowing what areas you are weak in, will help you to train to defend yourself better in those areas. For example if you are weak and are easily taken to the ground, then you will need to learn ways to defend yourself from being thrown to the ground, which is known as the take-down defense.

To get you started you will need to locate a gym near you, so you can get started on your journey. Look for a gym that best suits your needs. If you cannot find a gym near you, then you can try your luck at a gym that has a different focus. It may not be exactly what you need, but you might learn something else that will be useful to help craft all of your skills against your opponents.

While looking for a place to train, you'll be looking for a trainer. Make sure you do your research very carefully. It's really important to find someone you connect with, someone who knows what they're doing, and one that has a very good reputation. This is the person who's going to teach you everything you need to know to be a cage fighter.

When training, be sure to train in the areas you are not comfortable in. This will help you along your way to becoming a good fighter, and will increase your defense skills. A fighter who is uncomfortable in an area will be easier to defeat. A good opponent will easily find your weaknesses and use them to his advantage. All this will work to make you a well-rounded fighter.

The best way to prepare yourself for cage fighting is to practice diligently and continually seek to improve yourself. If you think you are at the point where you just can't get any better, you are making a very big mistake. There will always be someone better than you, and there will always be room for improvement. Also, practicing reveals your love for cage fighting and will move you toward success. If you think you love the sport, but hate to practice, don't waste your time. This isn't for you. You are not passionate enough to be good at this, and put up with getting hit for a living.

After you have crafted your skills and feel as if you are in the position to do great things, you need to enter as many competitions as you can. Do not look at any competition as too small, as every competition is something you can add to your list of accomplishments, and something you can learn from. Even if you lose a fight, understand that it's all going to make you better in the end, as well as your victories.

Once you have gotten the necessary training look for MMA competitions that you can join. Understand that competitions will have entry fees that you'll need to pay, but at the same time, ensure that they are putting you against a formidable opponent for you to face. It is not always available for you to do a scouting report on an opponent whom you do not know until you get to the competition, but try your best to get as much information as you can.

These steps will help push you in the right direction toward becoming a successful cage fighter, which in turn can open up the opportunity to become a UFC fighter. UFC is like the NFL of cage fighting.

How Old Do You Have To Be To Become A Pro Cage Fighter?

There is no set age limit for becoming a pro cage fighter. More important than age, is that you are physically fit and able to fight well. To accomplish this, you must eat healthy foods and work out regularly, focusing on your strength and speed.

When you are a neophyte, you need to have massive training in order to be a pro cage fighter. You need to have training that will help you improve your performance and your actions. Training will help you to move faster and to master the techniques needed while you are inside the cage and fighting. After massive amounts of training, you can classify yourself as a pro cage fighter if you have many wins and can hold your own with others who are strong and/or veterans.

Do You Have To Do Competitions To Be A Good Fighter?

1

According to UFC experts, the answer is a resounding, "Yes!" This is why you train as cage fighter, and if you intend to become a professional, you are advised to fight in many challenging, competitive matches

.

The intensive training in the gym and practice matches are essential preparation for the ultimate goal - cage fighting. To compete against skilled, seasoned and tough cage fighters, along with the preparation, is what will make you a good fighter. It is generally better for cage fighters to have many amateur bouts before attempting to become a professional.

The number of mixed martial arts (MMA) amateur fights before going professional varies for each fighter

.

However, just going to the gym to lift weights and practice your grappling and strikes with various partners has limitations in your development as a "good" fighter. Do not allow yourself to be misled that a man's impressive amateur record means that he will be a good fighting professional. If you commit to becoming a good fighter, it means facing tough competition. Some amateur cage fighters bolster their record by facing weak opponents. It catches up with them once they move to the professional ranks.

To become a good fighter means fighting the best adversaries in the cage

.

This means the best at your present level, and those only in your weight class. It is true in any sport.

In tennis, for example, Pete Sampans acknowledged that he was beaten constantly in tennis matches as a young boy. Yet, that can be misleading. He became number one in the world for years, which he attests was because his father had him compete against older, well-accomplished tennis players while he was growing up. After hundreds of losing matches, there came a pivotal moment when he was only 18 years old, and the only tennis athletes who could even compete with him were in the top 10 of the world. Soon after that, he was alone at the top, where he stayed for many years.

Similarly, in martial arts, Chuck Norris faced defeat often in his early days of karate competition. Under the tutelage of Bruce Lee, and fighting the top black belts, he ultimately became number one in the world.

Saying that generally you need many amateur cage fights before going professional is conditional

.

If you already have faced competition in a related sport, such as any martial arts, boxing, or wrestling at a high level, you will require fewer amateur bouts. Cage fighting is a mixed martial art (MMA), so experience in any one of these fighting sports will help you. However, to become a good cage fighter will require skill, usually in a combination of these sports, involving grappling and striking. It is a brutal sport that demands an enormous amount of physical and mental strength. You must have a tremendous amount of willpower and heart, with a strong chin. If you do not challenge yourself by facing the best cage fighters, you can never assess yourself as a good cage fighter. Yes, you need competition!

So, just how many amateur bouts, and for how long must you train to qualify as a good professional fighter

?

There are many factors involved to answer this for you personally. Your age, genetics, and general health play a role in this also. As a general rule, you must have competition for a couple years in MMA, with several exhibition bouts so that you can condition yourself for that environment. If you are a young athlete, you can compete in wrestling or another sanctioned sport, competing with other schools. After several more months and several fights, give the amateur circuit a try from your local gym.

If you find it gratifying, and are progressing, at this point you can decide if you want to continue in this very challenging sport

.

If you do, fight five or six more amateur fights. Remember, during all of this time, you must commit time in the gym: Pumping iron, building your endurance through exercise, sparring with an experienced cage fighter, and listening to a veteran mentor talk about cage fighting.

Make Sure You're Cut Out For Cage Fighting

1

If you are unable to sacrifice this much, then you will not develop properly, and you'll risk unnecessary injuries

.

You can be injured even if you are in top physical shape, but your probability for injury increases when you are not at 100 percent. If you have gone through all this preparation, you can now talk to MMA trainers about becoming a professional cage fighter. So, unless you are an All-American already in sport, expect a total commitment of three years training and FACING TOUGH COMPETITION.

To give you an idea of what it will take, here is an example of a cage fighter who is an exception to that general rule

.

You will see that the requirements to become a good cage fighter differ.

Andres Aleman only had a four wins and zero losses amateur record with Team Doral in Miami before going professional.

He was the Florida state high school wrestling champion three times, was a qualifier for the Olympics in power lifting, and had won many jiu jitsu tournaments. ##He excelled in the lightweight division (125 pounds) for all of these by the time he was 20.

Today, he has world class UFC fighters and trainers working with him: Thiago and Christopher Silva. Both brothers are martial arts black belts, who have beaten the best cage fighters in the world.

Already Aleman has been the Bantamweight world champion of the pro-amateur Total Warrior Combat organization.

In conclusion, to be considered a good cage fighter in the eyes of the world means to be in the professional ranks

.

It requires an extraordinary amount of training and competing against the best at each level of cage fighting. The amount of training and competition it requires does differ. Athletes such as Andres Aleman are exceptional, and require only a few amateur fights before becoming a professional. Generally, you must face competition with a few dozen amateur bouts minimum before talking to a trainer about becoming a professional. It will take a few excruciating, demanding years to become a good cage fighter. Are you ready?